Has anyone used graduate school (or even undergrad ig) to explore a new state?
I'm planning on applying for graduate school for school psychology at the end of the year for Fall 2027. While we have a few schools in my state, they're all either crazy competitive, private, religious, or require the GRE. Not all, but a good bit. I've been considering going out of state; 2/5 of the schools I'm applying to are out of state, but one of the in-state schools isn't that good, so I might be looking at others to work towards.
There's only one school I would be able to commute to without having to live on campus, which is still my first choice, but just in case I don't get in...
I was kinda thinking, if I'm going to go out of state anyway, maybe I should use it as an opportunity to explore a new place? If I hate it, well, it's only 2-3 years. I could always go back home once I'm done; credentials typically transfer with a little work.
I don't know, maybe I'm being too idealistic. Has anyone done this and actually found they wanted to stay in the new place?
Edit: I'm leaning towards going out of state more, though my program probably won't be fully funded. Assuming PSLF is still a thing in 15 years, I should be fine... hopefully. Ofc, I'm still trying to go to the in-state school, and it's still my first choice.